Your Job.

Web Site Occupations Netting Hefty Salaries

Those Involved With Business Development, Sales And Marketing Receive Greatest Compensation

January 16, 1997|By Carol Kleiman, Tribune Jobs Columnist.

The Web! The Web!

World Wide Web site occupations are growing by the gigabyte. And so are the salaries of the techies responsible for them.

According to Buck Consultants, an international compensation consulting firm based in New York, seven individual job descriptions have emerged to describe the work done by Web weavers. Having specific job titles and responsibilities also makes possible an analysis of specific salaries--data that was not available when working on Web sites was more amorphous.

The biggest bucks are being pulled down by the director of on-line business development, who averaged $106,600 a year. Tied for second are the Web site general manager and the director of on-line sales and marketing with base salaries last year of $75,000. These cyberspace honchos also get bonuses.

Other salaries, according to the consulting group, are $63,900 for the manager of Internet operations; $58,500, Web site engineer; $46,600, Web site artist and layout editor; and $46,200, Web site programmer.

Not bad money, particularly since a college degree is not as yet a requisite. And Paul Gavejian, compensation consultant and a principal at Buck Consultants, expects salary levels for the positions to "rise moderately over the next couple of years" as demand becomes greater.

- Loyalty oaths. "I have the problem of overcoming the impression of being a job hopper, because of my aerospace background, where you change jobs frequently," a former consultant for the government says. "I had an interview recently with a defense company that told me bluntly they didn't consider me a good hiring prospect because of my short tenures.

"I responded equally bluntly that I was willing to commit to them long term if they would make a similar commitment to me. Loyalty cuts both ways!"

I agree that it is ironic that employers expect loyalty and give none. There are no jobs for life anymore. But they're even scarcer for those brave enough to confront a potential employer on the subject of loyalty.

- The graduates. Employers plan to hire 17 percent more new college graduates this year than they did last year, and entry-level salaries are expected to increase an average of 3.9 percent, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers based in Bethlehem, Pa.

It's not surprising that computer and business equipment manufacturers plan to hire almost 66 percent more grads and that computer software development firms will add 36 percent more.

And the No. 1 thing employers say they're looking for: communication skills. Interpersonal skills are second, followed by technical skills and experience in working in teams and having previous work experience.

- Thank you, thank you. "I am currently interviewing candidates for two financial analyst slots at my company, and it has surprised me how few candidates bothered to follow up with a thank-you letter," a manager says. "Maybe I am out of touch with the job market, but I when I landed my current job a few months ago, I was told my follow-up letters and strategically spaced phone calls were among the things that got me the job. Out of 10 candidates I've interviewed, only one sent a thank you.

"Are people just misinformed about interviewing protocol or have standards slipped?"

I don't think standards have slipped; I do think that job seekers go out on a lot of unproductive interviews and become weary in the process. But thank-you notes are important because they show your professionalism--and also remind the potential employer of your eagerness to be hired.

"When Robert Haas of Levi Strauss & Co., was asked in 1995 why his company has shown such aggressive social leadership, he replied, `By . . . not daring to take the lead in social practices as well as business practices, you're dooming yourself to extinction.' " From: "Aiming Higher," by David Bollier (Amacom, $24.95).

Coach's Tip. You can do well in your professional career and business by doing good. And it feels good!

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Carol Kleiman's columns appear in the Tribune on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Send e-mail to ckleiman@tribune.com.